Late Blight Fungus Disease

Late blight is a potentially devastating disease of tomato and potato, infecting leaves, stems and fruits of tomato plants. The disease spreads quickly in fields and can result in total crop failure if untreated. Late blight of potato was responsible for the Irish potato famine of the late 1840s.

Can late blight be cured?
What are the symptoms of late blight?
What plants does late blight effect?
How do you control late blight?
How is late blight spread?
What causes late blight?
What does late blight smell like?
When does late blight occur?
What is meant by late blight?
How does late blight kill plants?
Which plants are affected by blight?
What happens in late blight of potato?

Can late blight be cured?

Blight spreads by fungal spores that are carried by insects, wind, water and animals from infected plants, and then deposited on soil. ... While there is no cure for blight on plants or in the soil, ² there are some simple ways to control this disease.

What are the symptoms of late blight?

Symptoms. Late blight will first appear as water-soaked spots, usually at the tips or edges of lower leaves where water or dew tends to collect. Under moist, cool conditions, water-soaked spots rapidly enlarge and a broad yellow halo may be seen surrounding the lesion (Mohan et al., 1996).

What plants does late blight effect?

Late blight is a destructive disease of tomatoes and potatoes that can kill mature plants, and make tomato fruits and potato tubers inedible. This disease also affects, although typically to a lesser extent, eggplants and peppers, as well as related weeds such as nightshade.

How do you control late blight?

The severe late blight can be effectively managed with prophylactic spray of mancozeb at 0.25% followed by cymoxanil+mancozeb or dimethomorph+mancozeb at 0.3% at the onset of disease and one more spray of mancozeb at 0.25% seven days after application of systemic fungicides in West Bengal [50].

How is late blight spread?

How does late blight spread? Late blight spreads really easily. Heavy rain washes the fungal spores of late blight into the soil, where it overwinters. ... Sometimes these tubers grow the following year to produce infected shoots which release fungal spores onto the wind to infect new crops.

What causes late blight?

Late blight is caused by the oomycete Phytophthora infestans. Oomycetes are fungus-like organisms also called water molds, but they are not true fungi. There are many different strains of P.

What does late blight smell like?

Late blight-infested plants may put off an unpleasant odor that smells like decay. Tubers frequently become infected, filling with rot and allowing access to secondary pathogens. Brown to purple skin may be the only visible sign on a tuber of internal disease.

When does late blight occur?

Severe late blight epidemics occur when P. infestans grows and reproduces rapidly on the host crop. Reproduction occurs via sporangia that are produced from infected plant tissues (Fig. 1) and is most rapid during conditions of high moisture and moderate temperatures (60°-80°F).

What is meant by late blight?

: a disease of solanaceous plants (such as the potato and tomato) that is caused by a fungus (Phytophthora infestans) and is characterized by decay of stems, leaves, and in the potato also of tubers.

How does late blight kill plants?

The fungus, (Phytophthora infestans), that causes late blight is aptly named: phytophthora in Latin means "plant destroyer." Infected plant tissue dies. Outbreaks spread quickly under favorable conditions (cool, wet weather) because the pathogen can produce huge numbers of wind-dispersed spores.

Which plants are affected by blight?

It is a serious disease for potatoes and outdoor tomatoes, but not as common on tomatoes grown in greenhouses. Blight is specific to tomatoes, potatoes and some ornamental relatives of these two crops.

What happens in late blight of potato?

Late blight of potato is identified by blackish/brown lesions on leaves and stems (Figures 3,4) that may be small at first and appear water-soaked or have chlorotic borders but expand rapidly and the entire leaf becomes become necrotic. In humid conditions, P.